Tuesday, January 7
First Flying Taxi
The futuristic taxis will cut journey times by up to 80% (Image: Archer Aviation)
The world’s first flying taxi service is set to launch in Abu Dhabi next year, with a US-based aircraft company securing over £1 billion towards the innovative transport system.
By the end of 2025, visitors to the United Arab Emirates capital could be able to travel around the city in a fleet of electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircrafts.
Four passengers would be able to fit in each vehicle, which would fly between “vertiports” around Abu Dhabi - in a move estimated to cut journey times by up to 80% - and could travel at speeds of 150 mph.
Journeys between the city’s airport and Emirates palace could be shaved down to between 5 and 8 minutes - a drastic improvement on the 45-minute car ride currently on offer. READ MORE...
By the end of 2025, visitors to the United Arab Emirates capital could be able to travel around the city in a fleet of electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircrafts.
Four passengers would be able to fit in each vehicle, which would fly between “vertiports” around Abu Dhabi - in a move estimated to cut journey times by up to 80% - and could travel at speeds of 150 mph.
Journeys between the city’s airport and Emirates palace could be shaved down to between 5 and 8 minutes - a drastic improvement on the 45-minute car ride currently on offer. READ MORE...
Monday, January 6
Changing Ones Beliefs
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Normally a statement like this would pertain to some sort of religious belief but in this case, I am talking about a brand of computer, specificall Dell.
Dells used to be the working man's/woman's computer, in expensive but reliable. However, my last two Dells were garbage and Dell had to sent out 3 technicians to my house for the Dell before this one and now with my Vostro 7620, a technician has been out to my house 3 times as well and the problems both times were never resolved by Dell.
The Dell before this one, I took to the Geek Squad at Best Buy and they reloaded the OS and the problem went away. The Vostro 7620 is at Best Buy right now waiting in line to have the operating system reloaded which may or may not fix the problem.
The Vostro 7620 has had the keyboard and touchpad replaced three times and the problem persists and Dell refuses to give me a new computer.
While I was at Best Buy the other day dropping off my Vostro 7620 with the Geek Squad, I looked at Samsung and Lenovo.
I do not want a Microsoft, HP, or Chromebook.
I am using an HP Chromebook while I am waiting form my Vostro 7620 and I am typing on an external keyboard because the keyboard on the unit does not work. Lugging around an external keyboard defeats the purpose of buying a laptop.
People Not Worth Keeping in Touch With
In this article, we’ll explore the 8 types of people that may not be the best to keep in your life. This isn’t about pushing people away but understanding what relationships contribute positively to your life.
Let’s dive in and learn how to make those tough calls for the sake of our emotional health.
1) Energy vampires
When it comes to relationships, energy is a big deal.
Imagine being around someone who consistently drains your energy, leaving you feeling depleted and exhausted. These individuals are often referred to as ‘energy vampires’.
Psychology tells us that being in the company of such people can be detrimental to our mental and emotional health. It’s not just about feeling tired, but also about the negative impact on your general well-being.
Energy vampires often thrive on drama, negativity and conflict. They can make you feel guilty for their problems or consistently place their needs above yours.
Maintaining regular contact with an energy vampire can lead to stress, anxiety, and even depression.
2) Fair-weather friends
Have you ever had a friend who’s only around when things are going well? I have, and let me tell you, it’s not a pleasant experience. READ MORE...
Sunday, January 5
In The NEWS
Surgeon General urges cancer warnings on alcoholic drinks.
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called for alcoholic beverages to carry warning labels about the increased risk of cancer associated with their consumption. The recommendation is based on conclusive research establishing a link between alcohol and at least seven types of cancer, including breast, liver, and throat. See the surgeon general's advisory report here (w/data and vi
suals).
Biden blocks proposed sale of US Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel.
President Joe Biden has blocked the nearly $15B proposed deal for Nippon Steel to acquire US Steel, citing national security concerns and the importance of maintaining a domestically owned steel industry. The decision came after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States failed to reach a consensus on the potential national security risks, leaving the final verdict to Biden.
US fines JetBlue $2M for chronic flight delays on East Coast routes.
The penalty from the US Department of Transportation is the first of its kind against an airline, and half of the fine will be distributed to affected passengers as compensation. The department found four routes that consistently arrived late between June 2022 and November 2023, attributing the delays to JetBlue's "unrealistic scheduling." JetBlue argued air traffic control issues were also a factor.
Apple agrees to settle $95M class action lawsuit over Siri recordings.
The lawsuit alleges Apple's virtual assistant Siri recorded users' conversations without consent and shared them with third parties, contradicting the tech giant's privacy commitments. If approved, the settlement could compensate millions of eligible Apple device users who owned devices from September 2014 to December 2024, with potential payouts of up to $20 per device.
South Korea’s impeached president defies arrest warrant after standoff.
South Korean law enforcement officers attempted to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence Friday but were thwarted by a barricade of roughly 200 soldiers and security guards. Law enforcement eventually withdrew from the compound due to safety concerns after a six-hour standoff. Yoon faces criminal charges of abuse of authority after a short-lived martial law declaration last month.
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Statistical Process Control - Process Variation
SPC...
Statistical Process Control
The technique where samples are pulled from a process at periodic intervals and measured by calibrated instruments and data points are plotted on an Xbar R chart over a period of weeks. Analyzing the data and calculating upper and lower control limits, one can easily tell that the process is in-control or out-of-control.
If the process is out-of-control, other tools are used to analyze the process, Pareto Analysis, Cause and Effect Diagrams, and others to pinpoint the variation and then change the process so that the variation is eliminated.
Variation can come from the following sources:
- Machines
- Methods
- Materials
- Environment
- People
No two machines operate the same way based upon how they were manufactured and the raw materials that were used in the manufacturing process. Operators no matter how well trained, operated machines differently from one another as well.
Methods include how we operate and provide maintenance on the machine and the tools that we use. Tools that need to be calibrated need to have that happen routinely to make sure they are still holding their calibrations.
Raw materials vary from one supplier to another supplier for the same reasons that I have already listed. They need to be check consistently and statistically to make sure they have not varied beyond the required specs.
For instance, a magic marker. If the inner dimensions of inside the marker cap are too much wide than the outer dimensions of the barrel they are to attach too. The cap will be too loose to fit properly, and the ink will dry out quicker than promised.
Environment pertains to the temperature as well as the morale of the people working there. Too hot, too cold, too dry, too humid all those conditions can influence the variation produced by the machine on the raw materials.
Lastly, the people or one's employees. The main problem here is lack of training followed by morale and attitude and bringing problems from home into the workplace.
Far away Planet Shows Signs of Life
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has reportedly discovered possible evidence of a sign of life on a faraway planet.
Life on Earth produces a molecule called dimethyl sulfide (DMS) that has been discovered on the exoplanet named K2-18b.
The "bulk" of DMS in Earth's atmosphere is emitted from phytoplankton in marine environments, said University of Cambridge Prof. Nikku Madhusudhan who led the research to BBC News in 2023.
Saturday, January 4
In The NEWS
, Entertainment, & Culture> NFL regular season wraps up this weekend with Week 18; see latest playoff picture (More) | Rosters announced for 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games (Feb. 2) (More) | Notre Dame tops Georgia 23-10 to advance to College Football Playoff semifinals (More)
> Agnes Keleti, oldest living Olympic gold medalist and Holocaust survivor, dies at age 103 (More) | Wayne Osmond, original member of the Osmond Brothers and sibling to Donny and Marie Osmond, dies at age 73 (More)
> The 82nd Golden Globe Awards to be presented Sunday (8 pm ET, CBS); see predictions for each category (More) | Billie Eilish's "Birds of a Feather" is Spotify's most-streamed song of 2024 (More)
Science & Technology
> Meta to introduce AI-generated characters with their own profiles that will share content, interact with users across Facebook and Instagram; release date to be determined (More)
> Volcanic activity under the Yellowstone caldera is shifting toward the northeast, according to new geological survey; one of the world's biggest supervolcanoes, Yellowstone has experienced three massive eruptions over the past 2 million years (More) | Everything you need to know about the National Parks (More, w/video)
> Federal appeals court strikes down Biden administration net neutrality rules, finding regulators lack authority to restore requirements internet service providers treat all data on their networks equally (More) | Net neutrality 101 (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq -0.2%) in choppy first trading session of 2025 (More)
> Tesla shares drop 6% after quarterly results show first-ever annual drop in delivery numbers amid EV competition in China, Europe, and the US; Tesla delivered more than 1.7 million electric vehicles in 2024, down from more than 1.8 million in 2023 (More)
> US weekly jobless claims drop to 211,000 for week ending Dec. 28; figure is the lowest level since March 2024 (More) | US average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rises to 6.9%, the highest since July 2024 (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> The 119th Congress convenes today, with US House to vote on a speaker; current speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R, LA-4) needs 218 votes to win—at least 14 of 219 Republicans remain undecided while one GOP lawmaker plans to vote "no" (More)
> Twenty people honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R, WY-At large) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D, MS-2), who led House probe into Jan. 6, 2021, US Capitol storming (More) | See full list of honorees (More)
> Winter storm to bring snowfall and ice from Central Plains to mid-Atlantic regions this weekend; between 6 and 12 inches of snow expected in some areas (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Up To YOU
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We are well into the new year; this year of 2025 and we have a new President that has divided the country into half with his election.
You either like or dislike Trump, I doubt there are too many not on either extreme.
Personally, I don't care one way or the other who is President because for the last 30 years my married life has not really been impacted by who our President is or is not.
Most of the people with whom I have worked or been associated with as friends, do not really care about who the President is and adjust their lives accordingly depending upon what happens in the economy.
For instance, I have been retired since 2015 along with my wife and no President has interfered with our lifestyle and how we wanted to live our lives. COVID stopped us from traveling for a couple of years and I suppose you could blame it on a President, but the blame falls on CHINA.
Some states were locked down others were not; several were killed because doctors were not really sure what they were dealing with. All of that was unfortunate and leaders made mistakes, but I doubt any of us would have done any better.
My wife and I are debt free and have a simple lifestyle that has not been impacted by Presidents for over 30 years and the same thing was true in my first marriage of 20 years.
If you are smart, you will simply find a way to adjust and move on and learn from your lessons of experience, make adjustments, or acquire different kinds of training.
It is all up to you really.
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